Menu

2016

Programme 2016

Panel 1 – Comparing the Market
Our annual catch-up with international Comedy developments, including new regions, successful cooperation, discussing cultural barriers; the international audience, growth opportunities, reviewing developments in talent exchange. Not only are UK based acts penetrating countries and audiences previously thought unable to be entertained by English language shows, local Comedy scenes are developing and this multilingual talent is finding their way to audiences worldwide. The discussion is open; we welcome success stories and bold plans from the panel as well as from the creative entrepreneurs in the room.

Panel 2 –The Finer Print.
Following on from last year’s panel we will be discussing venue management, common practice front and back of house, riders, contracts & insurance and the latest practical developments in international touring. We are bringing in the experts to continue on the other side of the paperwork; the insurer, contract expert and the venues, to find out more on how we can work together in avoiding incidents and learn from their expertise.
Topics on the table can range from accessibility, both for talent & audience, front of house variables, such as timings, queuing and methods of serving food & drink, seating (or even standing) arrangements, late-comers, audience interaction / behaviour, etc.
We are interested to look into venue policy in relation to artist contract /riders. Due diligence, responsibility and practice in case of incidents, accidents, cancellations or changes.

Panel 3 – Show me the money?
Reviewing current commercial opportunities versus long-term development strategies. A panel to compare traditional “live” income, with relatively new online opportunities such as crowd funding and online AV streaming income. With Netflix and Spotify showing renewed interest in live Comedy we will be looking at the value of this for the Comedy market. Does this represent a direct monetary value or should we focus on the added values, increasing online profile, data collection (who manages these data?). Our more traditional panelists have retreated, so we will be boldly looking to the future and discuss opportunities for worldwide distribution of content and talent.

Panel 4 – Talent Scouting & Development.
Talent scouting in Comedy Clubs and through competitions is just one way of spotting talent. How are online profiles affecting the process of breaking an act. How does talent transfer between different mediums and how to deal with this as an agent or manager? What role does the online profile play in the decision of the booker and how has this changed? Does a strong online profile result into ticket sales, bringing in new live audiences and increasing the geographical market?

Report 2016

At request of the delegates we continued to keep the doors closed for media. Media were welcome to attend and participate in the discussions, but we asked them not to report on what was said in order to enable attendees to speak freely. Though we would like to share information, we feel a lot of the content discussed is more valuable within the context of the day and we would encourage Comedy professionals to attend and participate in person. The photo gallery can viewed here.